International Space Station 20th Anniversary Panel: The International Space Station and Beyond
[ MUSIC ] >> HI, EVERYONE. I'M LEAH CHESHIER, NASA PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICER. WE ARE EXCITED TO BE WITH YOU TODAY TO DISCUSS THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND BEYOND, AS WE CELEBRATE TWENTY YEARS OF CONTINUOUS HUMAN PRESENCE ON THE STATION. SO FOR THE LAST TWENTY YEARS, THIS UNIQUE MICROGRAVITY LABORATORY HAS HOSTED MORE THAN 240 PEOPLE FROM OVER NINETEEN COUNTRIES, UH, AND OVER THREE THOUSAND EXPERIMENTS, AND A VARIETY OF INTERNATIONAL AND COMMERCIAL SPACECRAFT.
THIS ALL HELPS PAVE THE WAY FOR NASA'S HUMAN LUNAR EXPLORATION PLANS UNDER THE ARTEMIS PROGRAM. THIS WILL CALL FOR US TO SEND THE FIRST WOMAN AND THE NEXT MAN TO THE SURFACE OF THE MOON BY 2024, AND ESTABLISH A SUSTAINABLE EXPLORATION BY THE END OF THE DECADE. SO WE HAVE FOUR PANELISTS WITH US TODAY TO SHARE THEIR WISDOM AND EXPERIENCE ABOUT ALL THINGS SPACE STATION, AND, UH, I'M GONNA LET THEM TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THEMSELVES.
FIRST UP, WE'LL START OFF WITH ROBYN GATENS. >> HI, EVERYONE, AND THANKS FOR TUNING IN. UH, WE'RE EXCITED TO BE JOINING YOU TODAY IN THIS PANEL.
I'M ROBYN GATENS AND I, UH, HAVE WORKED FOR NASA FOR THIRTY-FIVE YEARS, PRETTY MUCH MY WHOLE CAREER. I CURRENTLY WEAR TWO HATS, UH, FOR THE AGENCY, I'M THE ACTING DIRECTOR FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AT NASA HEADQUARTERS, AND I'M ALSO WHAT'S CALLED THE, UH, SYSTEM CAPABILITY LEADER FOR HABITATION SYSTEMS, THAT INCLUDES ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT AND CREW HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE SYSTEMS, WHICH WE'RE USING-- WE'LL TALK A LOT MORE ABOUT IN THIS PANEL. WE'RE USING THE SPACE STATION HEAVILY TO DEVELOP THOSE CAPABILITIES, SO, UH, THAT'S IT, THAT'S ME, LEAH. >> THANKS SO MUCH. AND NEXT UP, UH, JENNIFER FOGARTY.
>> HI, IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE HERE AND AN HONOR TO BE ON THE PANEL. UH, I AM THE CHIEF SCIENTIST FOR THE NASA HUMAN RESEARCH PROGRAM. I HAVE BEEN WITH NASA SIXTEEN YEARS IN TOTAL. UH, SPENT MY CAREER WORKING MOST OF IT IN MEDICAL OPERATIONS, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, UH, THE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH SPACEFLIGHT AND MAKING SURE THAT THE CREWMEMBERS, UH, ARE HEALTHY AND HAVE THE COUNTERMEASURES THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL FOR MISSION REQUIREMENTS.
WHEN I MOVED OVER TO THE HUMAN RESEARCH PROGRAM, UH, I BECAME IN CHARGE OF A VERY LARGE AND DIVERSE PORTFOLIO OF RESEARCH THAT'S TRYING TO ENABLE HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT EXPLORATION. AND WE USE PLATFORMS SUCH AS THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TO NOT ONLY UNDERSTAND HOW THE BODY CHANGES OVER TIME, AND HOW HUMANS RESPOND TO SPACEFLIGHT, BUT THEN HOW DO THE TOOLS THAT WE INTRODUCE, LIKE EXERCISE COUNTERMEASURES OR NUTRITIONAL COUNTERMEASURES, HELP THEM REALLY OPTIMIZE, UH, THEIR PERFORMANCE AND HEALTH AND SUSTAINABLY BE ABLE TO, UH, MANAGE THE STRESSORS THAT ARE GONNA OCCUR FOR EXPLORATION MISSIONS, WHICH WE HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED YET. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND TO ROUND OUT OUR PANEL TODAY, WE HAVE LAURA SHAW.
>> HELLO, UM, AS YOU SAID I'M LAURA SHAW, I UH, WORK IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION PROGRAM OFFICE AT NASA JOHNSON SPACE CENTER IN HOUSTON. UM, I'VE SPENT MY WHOLE CAREER WORKING LIFE ECLSS LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS, UM, ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT. UM, AND SO NOW WE'RE ESTABLISHING A TEST BED ON WHERE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, UM, AS ROBYN MENTIONED, TO TEST OUT THOSE TECHNOLOGIES. UM, AND SO WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UM, MY ROLE IN THAT, WHICH IS TO CREATE THIS-THIS TEST BED AND ALL THE HARDWARE THAT GOES INTO IT.
AND I'VE BEEN AT-AT NASA ABOUT-ABOUT 22 YEARS OR SO, AND WORKED LIFE SUPPORT ALMOST THAT ENTIRE TIME. >> AWESOME. WELL, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR JOINING US, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, LET'S DIVE INTO SOME QUESTIONS. AND THE FIRST ONE IS FOR YOU, ROBYN, YOU'VE SAID BEFORE THAT THE BEST IS YET TO COME, AND WE'RE ON THE CUSP OF SOME HUGE PAYOFFS FROM OUR INVESTMENT IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
SO, CAN YOU ELABORATE ON THAT? >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. BEEN TALKING A LOT ABOUT THIS ANNIVERSARY THAT WE'RE CELEBRATING. TWENTY YEARS OF CONTINUOUS HUMAN PRESENCE ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, WHICH IS JUST AN AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT ALL BY ITSELF. OUR TEAM MAKES IT LOOK EASY, BUT IN FACT IT'S NOT, UH, TO, UH, SUSTAIN THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION A CONTINUOUS CREW. UM, AS WE LOOK BACK ON THAT-THAT AMAZING ACCOMPLISHMENT IN THE LAST TWO DECADES, WE'RE REALLY LOOKING FORWARD, WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO WHAT THE NEXT DECADE HOLDS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION.
AND IN ALL OF OUR MISSION AREAS, I FEEL LIKE WE'VE ALREADY ACCOMPLISHED SO MUCH, BUT THE BEST REALLY IS YET TO COME. SO WE'LL BE TALKING MORE TODAY, AND THE FOCUS OF THIS PANEL IS ON HOW WE'RE USING IT, UH, THE SPACE STATION FOR EXPLORATION. AND WE HAVE ALL THESE CAPABILITIES, UH, THAT REQUIRE THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AS A TEST BED TO CLOSE THESE GAPS FOR FUTURE MISSIONS. SO I-- WE'RE GONNA BE CLOSING GAPS, UH, COMING UP. WE'RE ALSO GOING TO BE DOING MORE CUTTING EDGE RESEARCH IN MEDICAL FIELDS, MANUFACTURING, UM, ALL KINDS OF-- FOR BENEFIT TO, UH, LIFE HERE ON EARTH, STEM ACTIVITIES, UH, ALL OF THOSE.
THE INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP, UM, BY ITSELF IS, I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS YOU MENTIONED, WE HAVE ALL THESE COUNTRIES PARTICIPATING, WE'RE UP TO A 108 COUNTRIES HAVE PARTICIPATED IN SOME WAY IN, UH, ACTIVITIES ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. AND SO WE'RE FILLING IN THE MAP, RIGHT, OF GLOBAL PARTICIPATION AND THIS AMAZING PLATFORM. WE'RE ALSO SEEING MORE COUNTRIES WANT TO SEND ASTRONAUTS INTO SPACE. AND-AND THEN OUR FINAL AREA, COMMERCIALIZATION. SO WE'RE TRYING TO ENABLE A COMMERCIAL ECONOMY IN LOW EARTH ORBIT, WE'RE OPENING UP THE SPACE STATION FOR PRIVATE ASTRONAUTS TO COME FOR THE FIRST TIME, AND ALL COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES.
WE'VE GOT 21 COMMERCIAL FACILITIES NOW ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, OWNED AND OPERATED BY PRIVATE INDUSTRY. WE'RE ABOUT TO LAUNCH THE NANORACKS AIRLOCK ON SPX-21 ADDING YET ANOTHER COMMERCIAL CAPABILITY. SO THAT'S WHY I SAY I THINK THE BEST IS YET TO COME.
WE'RE ABOUT TO REALLY REAP THE BENEFITS OF, UH, IN ALL OF THESE MISSION AREAS, UH, FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. >> THAT'S REALLY EXCITING. AND THANK YOU SO MUCH.
THE NEXT QUESTION IS REALLY FOR ANY OF YOU, MAYBE EVEN ALL THREE OF YOU. UM, HOW ARE WE CURRENTLY USING THE SPACE STATION TO ENABLE FUTURE EXPLORATION? >> JEN, YOU WANNA TAKE THAT ONE FIRST? >> YEAH, IT'S-IT'S BEEN AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY. UH, SEVERAL YEARS AGO WHEN THEY COMPLETED STATION FROM A CONSTRUCTION STANDPOINT, BUT AS YOU HEARD FROM ROBYN, IT'S STILL GONNA CONTINUE TO EVOLVE AND CHANGE AS A TEST BED, BUT WE ALSO WERE ABLE TO GET ENOUGH CREW UP THERE WHERE WE WERE COULD FOCUS SIGNIFICANTLY ON SCIENCE. AND ONE OF THE COMPONENTS OF SCIENCE, NOT THE ONLY, BUT ONE OF THE COMPONENTS IS HUMAN RESEARCH, TO REALLY CHARACTERIZE WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE HUMAN BODY OVER TIME. UH, SPACEFLIGHT HAS-HAS SOME STRESSORS ASSOCIATED WITH IT, BUT IT ALSO HAS SOME ABSENCE OF STRESS.
SO ONE OF THE BIG ONES WE TRY TO UNDERSTAND IS THE BODY NOT EXPERIENCING GRAVITY FOR SIGNIFICANT PERIODS OF TIME. UM, AND THE-THE HUMAN BODY, WE'VE DISCOVERED, IS INCREDIBLY ADAPTABLE, BUT WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE DOES THAT ADAPTATION TAKE YOU FOR PERIODS OF TIME THAT ARE LONGER AND LONGER THAN WHAT WE EXPERIENCE ON STATION. SO YOU-YOU USE SOMETHING LIKE STATION AND THE POWERS OF THE NATIONAL LAB THAT ARE THERE, PLUS THE UP AND DOWN MAS, THE CAPABILITY TO BRING SAMPLES DOWN, SEND HARDWARE UP, AND BRING SAMPLES DOWN, TO DO MORE DETAILED STUDIES OVER TIME, IT'S CALLED TIME COURSE. BECAUSE WHAT'S IMPORTANT ABOUT LOOKING AT CHANGE OVER TIME IS YOUR ABILITY THEN TO PREDICT FOR FUTURE TIME PERIODS THAT HAVEN'T OCCURRED YET, AND BUILD THAT CONFIDENCE THAT YOU KNOW WHERE THE SYSTEM IS GOING. SO I THINK THE STATION HAS JUST BEEN REMARKABLE WITH ALLOWING US TO LOOK AT MULTIPLE CREW MEMBERS AT A TIME, MEN AND WOMEN, PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT ETHNICITIES, TO REALLY GET A-A COMPREHENSIVE SENSE OF WHAT PEOPLE OF THE FUTURE MIGHT BE LOOKING AT, AND HOW WOULD WE HELP THEM SURVIVE. AND NOT JUST SURVIVE, BUT REALLY PERFORM TO THE MISSION STANDARDS THAT WE EXPECT FOR SOMETHING LIKE A THREE YEARS MARS MISSION.
SO IT'S ONE OF OUR MANY ANALOGS, BUT IT'S OUR-OUR MOST HIGH FIDELITY ANALOG, 'CAUSE IT IS SPACE OPERATIONS. >> ALL RIGHT, UH, COMING UP NEXT, WE ACTUALLY HAVE A QUESTION-- I THINK THIS ONE MIGHT BE FOR YOU, UM, DR. FOGARTY, WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED FROM HUMAN RESEARCH ON THE SPACE STATION THAT IS PREPARING US FOR THE MISSIONS TO THE MOON AND MARS? >> WELL FOR THE MISSIONS OF THE-OF THE FUTURE COMING UP IN THE NEAR TERM FOR, ESPECIALLY FOR THE MOON, I THINK IT WAS ALLOWING US REALLY TO POSITION OURSELVES TO LEARN HOW TO DO HUMAN SUBJECT RESEARCH, UH, IN A VERY CONSTRAINED ENVIRONMENT. UM, THERE'S ALSO RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH DOING RESEARCH, SO WE'RE ALWAYS BALANCING, ENABLING THE MISSION TO OCCUR, AND DOING RESEARCH ON SUBJECTS.
UM, BUT WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT IT-IT IS FIELD RESEARCH. SO WHEN PEOPLE ARE GONNA GO INTO SPACE AND GO TO A PLANETARY SURFACE, UNDERSTANDING HOW THEY PERFORM ON SOMETHING LIKE AN EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITY IS PART OF WHAT WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WHEN THEY GO EVEN FURTHER AWAY. SO I-I THINK IT'S A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY FOR THE SCIENTISTS IN JUST EXECUTING THE SCIENCE ON THOSE MISSIONS AS MUCH IT IS THE DATA THAT'S GONNA COME BACK. BUT THE DATA REALLY IS INVALUABLE.
UM, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS WE HAVE ABOUT MICROGRAVITY, WHICH IS PRIMARILY THIS SITUATION ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IS THE BODY, UM, I'D CALL IT LIKE ONE OF THE MOST ENERGY EFFICIENT MACHINES KNOWN TO MAN IN TERMS OF IT WILL STOP INVESTING IN SYSTEMS THAT YOU DON'T REGULARLY USE. SO I THINK WHAT'S PROBABLY PRETTY WELL KNOWN ABOUT SPACEFLIGHT IS YOU DO LOSE SOME BONE AND MUSCLE MASS WHILE YOU'RE IN SPACEFLIGHT BECAUSE YOUR BODY DOESN'T FEEL THE PULL OF GRAVITY, SO YOUR BODY DOESN'T INVEST IN IT. AND IT'S NOT VERY HARD WORK PHYSICALLY TO LIVE IN MICROGRAVITY, RIGHT, YOU DON'T HAVE-- THERE'S NO WEIGHT TO THINGS.
THERE'S MASS, BUT YOU'RE NOT LIFTING YOUR OWN BODY, OR YOU'RE NOT LIFTING AN OBJECT, YOU'RE KIND OF JUST MOVING IT AROUND AND MAKING SURE IT DOESN'T GET AWAY FROM YOU, BUT IT'S TECHNICALLY NOT VERY DEMANDING ON THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM. SO YOU SAY OVER TIME WE'RE GONNA TAKE PEOPLE TO A PLANETARY SURFACE. SO MY CONCEPT OF THE LUNAR, UH, ORBITING CAPABILITY, WE'RE GONNA GO TO THE LUNAR SURFACE, WHICH HAS A PARTIAL GRAVITY. SO THE QUESTION HAS BEEN, WHAT VALUE IS GOING TO A PLANETARY SURFACE FROM THE HUMAN STANDPOINT OF GETTING EXPOSED TO SOME LEVEL OF GRAVITY THAT'S NOT QUITE ONE, WHAT WE EXPERIENCE HERE ON EARTH. AND WE HAVE WAYS ON EARTH OF MODIFYING CENTRIFUGES AND PUTTING PEOPLE IN A-- IN AN ANALOG SITUATION, WHICH IS CALLED BED REST, TO DECONDITION THEM. BUT WE'RE ALWAYS CONCERNED LIKE HOW MUCH DO WE REALLY REPLICATE THE ACTUAL EXPERIENCE OF SPACEFLIGHT.
SO THESE OPPORTUNITIES OF USING COMBINATIONS OF LEARNING ABOUT HOW MICROGRAVITY CHANGES THE BODY, BUT THEN WHEN WE GO TO LUNAR, HOW DOES THAT COMPARE AND HOW LONG DO THEY STAY IN LUNAR ORBIT IN MICROGRAVITY, AND THEN WHEN THEY GO TO THE SURFACE. SO THERE'S A LOT OF, CALL IT, LIKE TRIANGULATION OF THE DATA TO LOOK AT DO WE SEE DIFFERENCES IN HOW THE PEOPLE DECONDITION OR NOT WHEN YOU HAVE A PARTIAL GRAVITY CAPABILITY PRESENT? THAT'S WHERE WE TRY TO TIE IN WHAT WE DO ON EARTH, WHAT WE DO IN LOW EARTH ORBIT, AND THEN WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IN LUNAR, AND MAKE SURE WE'RE ALWAYS EVALUATING THE DATA TO SAY, AND I THINK ROBYN USED THE WORD "GAP" EARLIER. WHAT ARE OUR GAPS IN KNOWLEDGE? AND THEN WHERE DO WE ACTUALLY KNOW WE HAVE PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE TO GO SOLVE AND TEST SOLUTIONS? SO THERE'S JUST DIFFERENT, UM, KIND OF APPROACHES ALONG THE WAY, BUT WE REALLY HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S AN EVIDENCE-BASED PROCESS AND WE'RE ALWAYS REEVALUATING THE DATA TO TELL US WHERE TO GO NEXT. >> FANTASTIC. AND SO LET'S SWITCH GEARS A LITTLE BIT. UM, WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT THE HUMAN SIDE, AND LET'S TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SIDE.
SO WE KNOW ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT ARE ESSENTIAL FOR ALL HUMAN SPACECRAFT. UM, AND ON THE SPACE STATION WE HAVE THE ECLSS OR ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM, THAT'S OUR-THAT'S OUR ACRONYM FOR OUR BIG LONG, UH, STRING OF WORDS. SO HOW HAS THAT EVOLVED IN THE LAST TWENTY YEARS, AND HOW WILL WE APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE WE'VE GAINED FROM THAT TO THOSE FUTURE MISSIONS TO THE MOON AND EVENTUALLY MARS? >> AND I CAN TAKE THIS-THIS QUESTION. UM, WHEN ISS FIRST BEGAN, WE FIRST HAD ASTRONAUTS ON BOARD 20 YEARS AGO, WE HAD A VERY BASIC ECLSS SYSTEM, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW WE HAD A PRESSURIZED ATMOSPHERE, OBVIOUSLY, FOR THE CREW TO BREATHE. UM, AND WE REMOVED CARBON DIOXIDE, BUT WE BROUGHT UP OXYGEN IN TANKS, WE BROUGHT UP WATER IN BAGS, OR WE TRANSFERRED IT FROM THE SPACE SHUTTLE. UM, SO WE WERE THAT-WE WERE IN THAT STATE UNTIL ABOUT 2008.
UM, AND THAT'S THE POINT WHERE WE BROUGHT UP OUR, WHAT WE CALL REGENERATIVE ECLSS SYSTEMS. AND THESE ARE THE RECYCLING SYSTEMS. SO WE-WE STARTED COLLECTING CREWS' URINE AND, YOU KNOW, CONVERTING THAT INTO DRINKING WATER.
UM, WE STARTED GENERATING OXYGEN FROM THAT WATER. WE NO LONGER HAD TO, YOU KNOW, BRING THESE REALLY HEAVY CONSUMABLES FROM THE GROUND. AND THAT'S ALREADY-- AND THAT SAVED MILLIONS OF POUNDS OF UP-- OF UPMASS WE CALL IT, UH, TO THE ISS. UM, SO-SO WE'VE-- NOT ONLY HAVE WE SAVED THAT UPMASS, WE'VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THESE SYSTEMS. AND SOME OF IT'S BEEN PAINFUL, SOME OF IT'S BEEN VERY CHALLENGING BECAUSE THESE SYSTEMS ARE ALL CONNECTED. WHEN, LET'S SAY WE HAVE A LITTLE CONTAMINANT THAT COMES THROUGH THE WATER SYSTEM, THAT'S GONNA GO INTO THE OXYGEN GENERATOR, AND THAT'S GONNA POTENTIALLY NEGATIVELY AFFECT IT.
SO WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT THESE INTERACTIONS, UH, BETWEEN THOSE SYSTEMS. AND ALSO, JEN, DR. FOGARTY SAID IT, THE HUMAN'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT IN MICROGRAVITY THAN THEY ARE ON THE GROUND. WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT THAT AS WELL AND WHAT-WHAT IMPACTS THAT HAS, UH, TO THE ECLSS SYSTEMS. FOR EXAMPLE, WE TALKED ABOUT THE MUSCLE MASS AND THE BONE MASS LOSS, THAT-THAT RESULTS IN EXTRA CALCIUM BEING SHED AND-AND ENTERING THE CREW'S URINE. WELL THAT AFFECTS OUR SYSTEMS.
UH, WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT-ABOUT THAT PARTICULAR ONE REALLY EARLY ON IN OUR-IN OUR SYSTEM TESTS. SO WE'RE TAKING ALL OF THE KNOWLEDGE WE'VE GOTTEN OVER THE LAST TWELVE YEARS WITH THESE SYSTEMS, REALLY TWENTY YEARS FOR THE WHOLE OF THE ECLSS SYSTEM, AND WE'RE APPLYING THEM TO UPGRADES, TO EVOLVING IT TO THE NEXT STEP TO MAKE THINGS EVEN BETTER, EITHER MORE CAPABLE OF HANDLING THE ENVIRONMENTS THAT WE'LL BE IN, OR UM, MORE RELIABLE. THAT'S A-THAT'S A BIG ONE BECAUSE THE ECLSS SYSTEM REQUIRES A LOT OF CONSUMABLES AND, UH, AND SPARES 'CAUSE THINGS WEAR OUT, PUMPS-PUMPS WEAR OUT OVER TIME. UM, SO FOCUSING ON IMPROVED RELIABILITY IS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING GO TO DO. AND ISS IS AN INCREDIBLY UNIQUE AND, IN FACT, IS UNIQUE IN THE-- IN THE-- IN OUR SOLAR SYSTEM AT LEAST, UH, AS FAR AS A TEST BED WHERE WE CAN COMBINE, UM, THE MICROGRAVITY, OBVIOUSLY, IS A KEY, WE CAN COMBINE THAT WITH, UH, THE CREW BEING EXPOSED TO THAT MICROGRAVITY AND THE WASTE PRODUCTS THAT THEY GIVE OFF, AND THE CLOSED LOOP SPACECRAFT ENVIRONMENT WHERE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE BREATHING OUT THINGS, THOSE ARE IN THE ATMOSPHERE AND THEY'RE NOT GONNA GET-- YOU CAN'T OPEN THE WINDOW AND THEN FLUSH 'EM OUT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THERE AND YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THEM.
SO, UM, SO WHAT WE'RE DOING IS WE'RE CREATING THIS EXPLORATION CLASS LIFE SUPPORT TEST BED ON THE ISS, UM, WHERE WE'RE UPGRADING OUR EXISTING SYSTEMS AND WE'RE SUPPLEMENTING THEM WITH NEW SYSTEMS THAT WILL CLOSE THE LOOP WE CALL IT. SO, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT THIS-THIS LOOP OF CARBON DIOXIDE COMING OUT, BEING RECOVERED, UH, THE URINE BEING RECOVERED, AND THAT WATER GOES TO THE OXYGEN GENERATOR, ET CETERA. THERE'S A LOOP THERE. WE'RE CLOSING THAT LOOP TO MAKE IT, UH, WHERE WE DON'T NEED AS MANY CONSUMABLES AS WE'VE NEEDED ON ISS.
AND THAT'S ONLY GONNA HELP US FOR A MARS ROUND TRIP MISSION. SO IT'S VERY EXCITING AND IT'S-IT'S A ONE OF A KIND OPPORTUNITY THAT WE'RE REALLY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF. >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. THE BEST PLACE TO TEST IT IS IN SPACE.
UM, AND I THINK IT'S VERY INTERESTING. I DIDN'T KNOW THAT WE WERE STILL SENDING UP WATER, UH, UP UNTIL 2008. THAT'S VERY INTERESTING. I THOUGHT THAT-- >> YEAH, WE-WE STILL SEND WATER TODAY, WE-WE GET ABOUT 90% OF OUR WATER RECYCLED RIGHT NOW. WE'RE HOPING TO GET TO 98, 99% WITH OUR UPGRADES THAT WE'RE-WE'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON.
>> NEXT YEAR. >> NEXT YEAR, YUP. >> NEXT YEAR WE'RE GONNA CLOSE THAT GAP. >> YEAH.
>> AND I'LL JUST ADD ON TO WHAT-WHAT LAURA SAID, THAT WATER RECYCLING SYSTEM ENABLED US, REALLY, TO GO FROM A CREW OF THREE, TO A CREW OF SIX, AND NOW SEVEN THAT WE HAVE ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TODAY BECAUSE OF THAT RESUP-- THAT WE CUT THAT RESUPPLY, UH, NEED IN HALF. AND, UH, AND WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? THAT MEANS MORE CREW CAN DO EVEN MORE RESEARCH. AND SO THAT-THAT'S JUST HAD A HUGE PAYOFF. >> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AND MORE RESEARCH MEANS MORE BENEFITS TO HUMANITY AS WELL. UM, SO WE KNOW THERE ARE CONSIDERED FIVE HAZARDS TO HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT. WE'RE LOOKING AT RADIATION, ISOLATION AND CONFINEMENT, UH, THE DISTANCE FROM EARTH, GRAVITY FIELDS, AND HOSTILE OR CLOSED ENVIRONMENTS. SO WHAT ARE SOME OF THE COUNTERMEASURES IN PLACE TO COMBAT THESE FIVE HAZARDS? >> YEAH, AND-AND THOSE HAZARDS WE DO BREAK DOWN ON A-- ON A-- ON A PER RISK BASIS, BUT I ALWAYS REMIND FOLKS, I MEAN, THE HUMAN'S GONNA EXPERIENCE THOSE HAZARDS PRETTY MUCH SIMULTANEOUSLY. UM, THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION DOES HAVE ALL PRESENT TO A DEGREE, AND WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAY, THE PLAN FOR EXPLORATION VERSUS ISS TO-TO KNOW WHAT SPACE WE STILL HAVE TO WORK ON AND THERE ARE MODIFICATIONS BEING MADE TO ISS WITH THAT IN MIND AS WELL AS THE LUNAR OPPORTUNITY.
WELL, RIGHT NOW, UM, YOU KNOW, WE USE PREDOMINANTLY EXERCISE, UH, FOR THE MICROGRAVITY, THE ALTERED GRAVITY HAZARD, RIGHT? WE GOTTA RELOAD THE BODY IN SOME WAY, WE GOTTA MAKE IT WORK HARD. AND GOING BACK TO BOTH, UH, LAURA AND ROBYN'S POINTS, REALLY WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE HUMAN IN THIS LOOP, IT'S CALLED HUMAN SYSTEM INTEGRATION. LIKE, HOW IS THE HUMAN GONNA AFFECT THE VEHICLE, HOW DOES THE VEHICLE AFFECT THE HUMAN, AND-AND THE CYCLIC NATURE OF THAT. SO IF WE CAN LOAD THE SKELETON, WE CAN MAKE THE BONES AND MUSCLES WORK REGULARLY AND KEEP THE BODY PERFORMANCE READY AND HEALTHY, AND THERE IS A PSYCHOLOGICAL COMPONENT TO EXERCISE AS WELL AS PHYSICAL, BUT THEN MAYBE WE'RE LESS OF A BURDEN ON THE URINE RECYCLING SYSTEM. CAN-CAN WE KIND OF METER OUT HOW-HOW THE CALCIUM IS LOST. UM, THERE'S ALSO THE NUTRITIONAL SIDE.
HOW DO YOU FEED A BODY, UM, AND PREPARE FOR THE WASTE THAT'S PRODUCED WHEN YOU FEED A BODY THAT'S EXERCISING A LOT? SO WE HAVE TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND ALL THE INPUTS AND OUTPUTS OF BOTH THE HUMAN AND THE VEHICLE SYSTEM TO COME UP WITH A-A SOLUTION THAT SAYS IT WORKS FOR EVERYONE. YOU KNOW, AND IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE THINK WE CAN INFORM HOW OUR FUTURE VEHICLES SHOULD BE BUILT. WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM IT? SO I THINK THAT HUMAN SYSTEM INTEGRATION, UM, HAS REALLY COME A LONG WAY WITH UNDERSTANDING HOW WE IMPACT EACH OTHER AND-AND MAYBE HOW WE TRADE OFF WHAT WE NEED TO DO AND THE GOOD SOLUTIONS. THE SPACE RADIATION IS INTERESTING. UM, WE DEFINITELY GET GALACTIC COSMIC RAYS, WHICH IS A VERY DIFFERENT TYPE OF RADIATION THAN WE EXPERIENCE HERE ON EARTH. BUT WE ALSO HAVE A LOOMING HAZARD, KNOWN AS THE SUN, UH, THAT PUTS OUT SOME SOLAR EVENTS, AND THOSE ARE SOLAR PARTICLE EVENTS THAT WE EVEN EXPERIENCE HERE ON EARTH THAT MAY GET THROUGH THAT PROTECTIVE PART OF OUR ATMOSPHERE CALLED THE MAGNETOSPHERE.
AND THOSE ARE ALL, YOU KNOW, SIGNIFICANT POTENTIAL HEALTH, UM, RISKS, RIGHT? I THINK IT'S-IT'S SCARY AND IT'S PRETTY WELL KNOWN THAT RADIATION TO A LARGE EXTENT IS NOT YOUR FRIEND. IT CAN BE USED THERAPEUTICALLY AT TIMES UNDER VERY CAREFUL, YOU KNOW, GUIDANCE FROM PHYSICIANS AND SCIENTISTS, BUT IN GENERAL IT'S SOMETHING THAT WE KNOW REALLY DAMAGES YOUR BODY ON VERY DIFFERENT LEVELS, UH, CELLULAR LEVELS, EVEN GENETIC LEVELS LIKE DAMAGE TO DNA. SO AT THIS POINT THERE IS A LEVEL OF SHIELDING.
YOU KNOW, ACTUAL ALUMINUM THAT CAN COME BETWEEN THE HUMAN AND THE RADIATION. ANOTHER THING THAT YOU CAN DO IS RECONFIGURE, AND I THINK LAURA BROUGHT UP THE WATER BAGS, UM, THAT CAN BE AN AMAZING RADIATION SHIELD. SO DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF EVENT, UM, WHICH ARE PRETTY RARE, THE-THE CREW CAN SHELTER IN PLACE, UH, AND USE PHYSICAL STUFF AROUND THEM, UM, TO PROTECT THEM. GALACTIC COSMIC RAYS ARE ACTUALLY REALLY HARD TO SHIELD FROM, AND WHEN YOU SHIELD YOURSELF FROM THEM, YOU CAN HAVE WHAT'S CALLED A SECONDARY, 'CAUSE THE PARTICLE HAS TO COME THROUGH A MATERIAL AND IT BECOMES SOMETHING ELSE, AND THOSE ARE EQUALLY, UH, AS PROBLEMATIC.
SO PEOPLE ARE, UH, THE PHYSICISTS AND THE VEHICLE DESIGNERS, ARE ALWAYS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE GET AN OPTIMAL AMOUNT OF SHIELDING TO PROTECT THE HUMAN AND THE EQUIPMENT, 'CAUSE, UH, COMPUTERS AND-AND BOARDS IN COMPUTERS ARE ACTUALLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO RADIATION DAMAGE AS WELL, THAT HOW DO WE PROTECT THINGS WITHOUT CAUSING MORE OF A PROBLEM DOWNSTREAM. SO FROM A BIOLOGY SIDE, WE LOOK AT THE DNA DAMAGE IN HUMANS AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS FOR THEIR HEALTH. UM, THE GALACTIC COSMIC RAYS AT THE LEVEL AT WHICH STATION IS IN OUR ATMOSPHERE DON'T REPRESENT AN IMMEDIATE HEALTH IMPACT, BUT WE ALSO SURVEIL THE ASTRONAUTS FOR THEIR LIFETIME, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY AGREE TO TO SAY, DO WE THINK THINGS ARE HAPPENING TO YOU LATER IN LIFE BECAUSE OF-OF THE TIME YOU SPENT IN SPACE? THAT ALSO HELPS US GAUGE KIND OF HOW YOU ACCRUE DAMAGE AND HOW YOUR BODY REPAIRS IT. AND WE HAVE A VARIETY OF SCIENTISTS WORKING ON THESE AREAS FOR SOMETHING LIKE EXPLORATION MISSIONS, WHERE THEY WILL BE GONE FOR TWO TO THREE TIMES THE DURATION, AND THEY'LL BE DEEPER INTO SPACE AND POTENTIALLY BE MORE VULNERABLE TO THE EXPOSURES.
UM, YOU MENTIONED, UH, ISOLATION AND CONFINEMENT, AND THAT IS WHERE WE REALLY TRY TO UNDERSTAND A LOT OF THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS THAT MIGHT GO ON. UM, THERE ARE A LOT OF BENEFITS IN STATION THAT THE CREW TALK ABOUT. THERE'S A LOT OF PUBLIC, UH, LITERATURE OUT THERE. THERE WAS AN EXPERIMENT CALLED "JOURNALS" BY DR. JACK STUSTER, WHERE THE CREWMEMBERS, UM, WROTE ABOUT THEIR EXPERIENCE.
AND THOSE WRITINGS WERE TAKEN AND KIND OF BROKEN DOWN INTO CATEGORIES, AND A LOT OF METRICS WERE DONE. BUT OVERALL THE-THE MOST POSITIVE EXPERIENCE CREW MEMBERS HAVE IS BEING ABLE TO SEE EARTH FROM STATION AND FEEL CONNECTED BACK TO PLANET EARTH. AND SO WHAT YOU START TO UNDERSTAND WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT THESE STRONG CONNECTIONS TO EARTH, AND SOME OF IT HAS TO DO WITH, SAY, TELEPHONING VIA SATELLITE PHONE, AND HAVING ALMOST REAL TIME ACCESS TO ANOTHER HUMAN BEING, UM, IS THAT WITH EXPLORATION THAT'S NOT GONNA BE PRESENT. SO THEN WE TRY TO UNDERSTAND, WELL, WHEN THOSE THINGS AREN'T AROUND, HOW MUCH MORE OF A STRESSOR WILL THE ISOLATION OF THE FUTURE BE? AND WE CAN KIND OF GAUGE PERCENTAGES BASED ON HOW THE CREW TALK ABOUT THEM NOW. THERE'S ALSO THE ELEMENT OF TEAM.
UM, AND ROBYN JUST MENTIONED THEY'RE UP TO SEVEN CREW ON BOARD. AND THAT FLUCTUATES DEPENDING ON HOW VEHICLES BRING PEOPLE UP AND DOWN. SO THAT CAN GO ANYWHERE FROM THREE, TO-TO FIVE, TO SIX, TO SEVEN, DEPENDING ON THE CREW SWAP OUTS.
BUT THESE PEOPLE HAVE TO GET ALONG. AND THEY HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER AND LIVE TOGETHER TWENTY-FOUR SEVEN FOR SOME PERIOD OF TIME. A LOT OF THAT GOES INTO TRAINING, UM, AND SETTING EXPECTATIONS OF WHAT THE MISSION IS AND HOW THEY EX-- AND PEOPLE EXPERIENCE LIFE TOGETHER BEFORE THEY EVEN GO. UM, BUT SOME OF IT HAS TO DO WITH DIVERSITY, UM, AND THE IDEA IS WE DO HAVE CREW CHANGEOVER NOW THAT, UM, THEY'RE-- THE CREW MOVE THROUGH STATION ON DIFFERENT INTERVALS. AND IN EXPLORATION THE FOUR TO SIX PEOPLE YOU MIGHT BE GOING WITH ARE GONNA BE THE FOUR TO SIX PEOPLE YOU'RE GOING TO BE STAYING WITH FOR A WHILE. SO WE ALSO USE STATION TO UNDERSTAND THE CONTRIBUTION OF THINGS LIKE TEAM DYNAMICS, UM, THE DIVERSITY OF THE TEAM, THE CHANGEOVER OF THE CREW TO SAY IF WE COULD QUANTIFY THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS WHEN THEY'RE NOT PRESENT, WHAT DO WE HAVE TO DO WITH EXPLORATION MISSION? OR HOW-HOW MUCH DIFFERENTLY DO WE HAVE TO PREPARE? UM, HOSTILE AND CLOSED ENVIRONMENT ACTUALLY SPEAKS-- AND-AND WE PROBABLY SHOULD CHANGE THE NAME BECAUSE I THINK-- I THINK THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT PEOPLE WORK REALLY HARD AT MAKING IT NOT HOSTILE-- [ LAUGHTER ] UM, BUT THE HUMANS DON'T HELP THEMSELVES BECAUSE, I MENTIONED EXERCISE EARLIER AS A COUNTERMEASURE FOR THE MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM, WELL WHEN YOU'RE EXERCISING YOU PUMP OUT A LOT OF CO2.
SO SUDDENLY THE EQUIPMENT HAS TO GO FROM, SAY SOME BASELINE LEVEL OF CO2 OF SIX PEOPLE WORKING AND BREATHING, WHICH MAY BE KIND OF THE AMOUNT WE'RE PRODUCING NOW WATCHING THE PANEL OR TALKING ON A PANEL. AND THEN WHEN YOUR HEART RATE GOES UP TO 160 BEATS PER MINUTE AND YOU'RE BREATHING HEAVILY, YOU'RE PRODUCING A LOT OF CO2. AND NOW THE SYSTEM HAS TO ACCOMMODATE THAT AND TRY TO BRING THE CO2 DOWN. AND THEN I'M SURE, UM, ROBYN AND LAURA CAN VERY MUCH SPEAK TO HOW THE ISSUES ARE VENTILATION, UM, BECAUSE WE-- THERE'S DIFFERENCES IN HOW AIR FLOWS IN MICROGRAVITY, AND THAT'S SOMETHING WE'VE LEARNED ON STATION A LOT ABOUT. AND THE CREWMEMBERS MIGHT BE LOCALLY EXPERIENCING A VERY DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENT, UM, THAN WHAT THE GLOBAL MEASUREMENTS MIGHT TELL YOU.
SO WE'RE ACTUALLY TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, AGAIN, THAT INTERACTION BETWEEN THE ABILITY TO MOVE AIR, VENTILATE, AND THEN REMOVE THE CO2 WHEN A CREWMEMBER'S DOING SOMETHING LIKE BREATHE HEAVILY DUE TO EXERCISE OR HARD WORK. UH, AND THAT ACTUALLY IS ANOTHER LESSON LEARNED THAT WE APPLY TO EXTRAVEHICULAR ACTIVITIES, WHERE THE HUMAN IS IN A CON-- A VERY CONFINED VEHICLE CALLED AN EVA SUIT. UM, SO IT'S BEEN INTERESTING TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND THE DYNAMICS OF HOW MUCH HUMANS PRODUCE, HOW THE VEHICLE OR THE SYSTEM REMOVES IT, AND CAN IT KEEP UP WITH THE PERSON? BECAUSE THE PERSON'S PRODUCTION COULD BE HIGHLY VARIABLE DEPENDING ON WHAT YOU ASK THEM TO DO. UM, THE OTHER HAZARDS THAT ARE OUT THERE HAVE-HAVE MORE TO DO WITH, I THINK, THE CONCEPT OF HOW DO WE MEET THE NEEDS WHEN YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY TRYING TO TAKE A PLANET WITH-WITH PEOPLE.
UM, AND IT HAS TO DO WITH SENSORY ISSUES LIKE SMELL, UM, FEELING OF THINGS LIKE A BREEZE OR, UM, YOUR FEET IN THE GRASS, WHICH ARE INCREDIBLY HARD TO REPLICATE. AND SO FAR FOR STATION, WE'VE BEEN AT, UM, DURATIONS OF MISSIONS THAT HAVEN'T REALLY APPROACHED HAVING A PROBLEM WITH THAT, BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE GONNA COME BACK TO EARTH AND EXPERIENCE THOSE THINGS, AND THEY CAN ANTICIPATE THAT TIME. BUT IN A FUTURE EXPLORATION, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE LONGER AND LONGER STRETCHES WHERE YOU CAN'T ANTICIPATE HAVING THOSE THINGS YOU MIGHT REALLY MISS. AND WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW MUCH, UM, YOU HAVE TO REPLICATE THOSE COMPONENTS, VERSUS WHEN YOU CAN JUST ALLOW THE PERSON TO KNOW THAT YOU WILL GET IT EVENTUALLY. UM, AND SO WE-WE TRY TO UNDERSTAND, AGAIN, QUANTITATIVELY AS BEST YOU CAN, WHAT IT MEANS TO NOT HAVE THAT SENSORY STIMULATION. BUT IT'S ONE OF THE AREAS THE CREW MEMBERS ALSO REMARK MUCH ABOUT WHEN THEY COME BACK IS, UM, ESPECIALLY RIGHT NOW YOU SEE THEM LAND IN KAZAKHSTAN, THEY OPEN THEIR HELMETS AND THEY'RE LIKE, "THERE'S NOTHING LIKE THE SMELL OF THE EARTH."
UM, AND I THINK OUR ABILITY TO GROW VEGETABLES AND PLANTS ON ORBIT START TO APPROXIMATE THAT, BUT WE HAVEN'T QUITE GOTTEN THERE YET, 'CAUSE WE'RE NOT BRINGING SOIL, UM, THAT COMES WITH SOME OTHER HAZARDS AND PROBABLY ECLSS, UH, CHALLENGES IF WE WERE TO BRING MORE PARTICLES. UM, BUT IF THERE-THERE'S A WAY TO COMBINE THE IDEA OF FEEDING THE CREW BY GROWING VEGETABLES, CONTRIBUTING TO SOMETHING LIKE OXYGEN PRODUCTION AND CO2 REMOVAL, AND THEN THEY ALSO GET TEXTURE, TASTES, AND SMELLS THAT REMIND THEM OF-OF EARTH WOULD BE A HUGE COUNTERMEASURE MOVING FORWARD. AND THEN IT'S JUST ABOUT SIZING IT PROPERLY AND MAKING IT PRACTICAL TO DO ON SOMETHING LIKE EXPLORATION. >> YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA-GONNA ECHO, CHIME IN AND SAY IS WE'VE-WE'VE, I THINK, DEVELOPED VERY GOOD COUNTERMEASURES FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, AND WE'VE LEARNED ABOUT, UH, ALL THESE THINGS, BUT NOW WE'RE TRYING TO REFINE THOSE SO THAT THEY WORK FOR SAY A MISSION TO MARS.
FOR EXAMPLE, ON SPACE STATION TODAY WE HAVE THREE BIG EXERCISE DEVICES, AND THAT'S A LOT TO CARRY ON A TRIP TO MARS. SO CAN WE DEVELOP AN EXERCISE, UM, SYSTEM THAT IS SMALLER BUT THE SAME EFFECTIVENESS, UH, FOR THE HUMAN? SAME THING WITH THE FOOD SYSTEM. WE FLY 200 DIFFERENT MENU ITEMS RIGHT NOW TO THE SPACE STATION, THE CREW ENJOYS A WIDE VARIETY OF FOOD, THAT'S PROBABLY NOT GONNA BE PRACTICAL FOR A TRIP TO MARS. AND NOT ALL OF-ALL OF THOSE FOODS WILL SURVIVE, HAVE THE SHELF STABILITY TO SURVIVE THAT KIND OF A TRIP. UH, SO IT'S GONNA BE A MORE LIMITED FOOD SYSTEM.
CAN WE INTRODUCE VARIETY THROUGH OTHER MEANS? CAN WE INTRODUCE VARIETY THROUGH, UM, AS JENNIFER MENTIONED, UH, A SUPPLEMENTAL CROP SYSTEM, RIGHT? THAT MAYBE IT WON'T HAVE SOIL, IT'LL GROW PLANTS A DIFFERENT WAY. UM, AND-AND, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, VENTILATION WE MENTIONED WE'RE-WE'RE WORKING ON OUR EXPLORATION ECLSS SYSTEM, UH, THAT LAURA TALKED ABOUT. ONE OF THE GOALS WE'VE GOT FOR OURSELVES IS TO TRY TO LOWER THE CO2, UH, THAT-- OR INCREASE THE PERFORMANCE OF THAT SYSTEM SO THAT THE CO2 LEVELS THAT THE CREW IS EXPERIENCING ARE LOWER. AND WE'RE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, WHAT IS THAT SWEET SPOT? BECAUSE WHEN YOU TRY TO DO THAT THE EQUIPMENT GETS BIGGER, SO IT'S A TRADEOFF BETWEEN, UM, DESIGNING THE EQUIPMENT FOR BETTER PERFORMANCE, AND-AND, UH YOU KNOW, NOT BEING TOO BIG, RIGHT? SO WE'RE-WE'RE-WE'RE USING THE SPACE STATION TO EVOLVE INTO WHAT WE THINK IS A MORE MARS LIKE, UH, OR LONG DURATION, UH, KIND OF MISSION LIKE SYSTEM AND THEN UNDERSTAND THAT THROUGH TESTING IT WITH THE CREW. >> GREAT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. UM, AND SO WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE SPACE STATION AND ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SYSTEMS ON THE SPACE STATION.
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE CHALLENGES WE'RE FACING WHEN IT COMES TO LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS AND SPACESUITS EVEN, UH, NEEDED FOR DEEP SPACE EXPLORATION. >> I-- AND I CAN START THIS ONE. UM, IMAGINE YOU'RE GOING ON A ROUND TRIP FROM NEW YORK TO LOS ANGELES IN A CAR.
IMAGINE THAT CAR WAS THE SIZE OF A HUMAN HAIR. THAT'S-THAT'S WHAT A MARS MISSION IS. IMAGINE YOU'VE NEVER TAKEN THAT CAR, YOU'VE ONLY EVER TESTED IT OR DRIVEN IN IT ON A TRACK INSIDE A BUILDING, UH, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IF WE-IF WE ONLY TEST THESE THINGS ON THE GROUND FOR EXAMPLE. UM, SO IMAGINE YOU NEVER EXPERIENCED A HILL OR RAIN OR A POTHOLE AND YOU DON'T HAVE ANY GAS STATIONS OR SERVICE STATIONS BETWEEN-BETWEEN THERE AND BACK, RIGHT, AND THERE'S NO HOTELS TO STOP AT.
EVERYTHING YOU HAVE WITH YOU IS WHAT YOU HAVE, AND-AND YOUR WITS, AND YOU KNOW, ALL OF THAT. SO-SO, UM, THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE I THINK FROM A LIFE SUPPORT POINT OF VIEW IS THE LONG DURATION AND HAVING TO BASICALLY BE YOUR OWN MECHANICS AND YOUR OWN, YOU KNOW, YOUR OWN MR. FIX ITS AND MS. FIX ITS. UM, SO WE'RE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN, LIKE I SAID, TO-TO LEARN AS MUCH AS WE CAN ABOUT THESE SYSTEMS NOW SO THAT WE'RE SMARTER GOING FORWARD. AND YOU KNOW WHAT TO BRING AS WELL.
AND WE'RE-- ROBYN MENTIONED, LIKE IN-SYSTEM MANUFACTURING IS A SIGNIFICANT CAPABILITY WE PROBABLY NEED TO CREATE, UM, SO THAT WE CAN FIX A PROBLEM THAT WE HAVEN'T ANTICIPATED, UH, ALONG THE WAY. AND I THINK, UM, AND MAYBE ROBYN CAN SPEAK TO THE SPACESUIT CHALLENGES A BIT, UH, IT'S-IT'S-- SPACESUITS ARE BASICALLY SMALL SPACECRAFTS. YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE THEIR OWN THERMAL CONTROL AND LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS IN THEM, SO IT'S VERY SIMILAR TYPE OF CHALLENGES. UH, AND THEN OF COURSE THEY'RE GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH SURFACE RELATED, UH, CHALLENGES WHEN WE START, YOU KNOW, HAVING CREW GOING OUT ON THE MOON AND MARS REGULARLY. THEY'RE GONNA BRING IN ALL KINDS OF DUST, WHICH WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO-TO MANAGE.
UM, SO I-I WOULD SAY THEY'RE VERY-THEY'RE VERY SIMILAR AND-AND-AND THE GOOD NEWS IS, ON THE SURFACE YOU HAVE GRAVITY AND WE HAVE GRAVITY ON EARTH. SO YOU CAN DO SOME OF THOSE TESTS HERE ON THE GROUND, BUT, UM, FOR LIFE SUPPORT WE JUST HAVE TO DO IT ON-ON THE SPACE STATION. >> AND WE JUST FLEW A PIECE OF THE NEW SPACESUIT, THE-THE SPACESUIT EVAPORATOR, UM-- >> RIGHT.
>> AS A FLIGHT-- AS A TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION. AND WE'RE DOING THAT RIGHT NOW ON THE SPACE STATION, SO THAT'LL BE PART OF OUR EXPLORATION SUIT. UM, BUILDING OFF WHAT LAURA SAID, WE, UM, WHEN WE FIRST FLEW OUR ECLSS SYSTEM FOR SPACE STATION, UM, WE-WE THOUGHT WE UNDERSTOOD IT, RIGHT, WE THOUGHT WE KNEW WHEN THIS PART WOULD FAIL AND HOW LONG THIS PIECE WOULD LAST AND, UM, WE WERE-WE WERE WRONG IN MANY CASES. UM, IF WE HAD TRIED TO DO A MISSION TO MARS BACK THEN, WE WOULD HAVE GUESSED WRONG. WE WOULD HAVE TAKEN THE WRONG THINGS, TOO MANY OF THIS, NOT ENOUGH OF THAT, AND WE WOULD NOT HAVE HAD A SUCCESSFUL MISSION.
UM, WE-- OR WE WOULD HAVE HAD TO TAKE A LOT MORE STUFF, RIGHT? SO WHAT WE'VE LEARNED, UH-UH, OVER THE LAST TWO DECADES WITH OUR ECLSS SYSTEM, HAS ACTUALLY REDUCED THAT UNCERTAINTY. AND WE CAN QUANTIFY THAT, UH, IMPROVEMENT IN TERMS OF SPARES MASS NOW THAT WE CALCULATE WE WOULD NEED FOR OUR ECLSS SYSTEM FOR A ROUND TRIP TO MARS. AND-AND WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO REDUCE UNCERTAINTY IN TERMS OF SPARES MASS, UH, EQUIVALENT TO SEVERAL TONS. AND THAT'S HUGE WHEN YOU CALCULATE JUST-JUST THE WEIGHT OF THE STUFF, AND THEN THE WEIGHT, AND THE MASS OF PROPELLANT YOU NEED TO PUSH THE STUFF ON A TRIP TO MARS AND BACK.
IT'S-IT'S-IT'S A GAME CHANGER, UH, FOR A MISSION TO MARS. BUT WE'RE NOT DONE YET, WE THINK WE CAN BRING THAT DOWN EVEN MORE, AND THAT'S THE RELIABILITY IMPROVEMENTS THAT LAURA TALKED ABOUT THAT WE'RE MAKING TODAY TO OUR SYSTEMS. BUT WE ALSO NEED TIME, WE NEED TIME ON SYSTEM. SO WE'VE LEARNED, YOU KNOW, WE'VE-WE'VE REDUCED THAT UNCERTAINTY, BUT IT TOOK US A LONG TIME TO GET TO THAT POINT. SO NOW WE'RE FLYING THESE EV-EVOLUTIONARY SYSTEMS AND WE NEED ADDITIONAL TIME ON THE SPACE STATION TO, UM, TO GAIN THE KNOWLEDGE AND-AND, UM, BE CONFIDENT IN THOSE SYSTEMS SO THAT WE KNOW, WHEN WE DO TAKE THAT TRIP, WE'VE PACKED THE RIGHT STUFF. >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
SO WE'VE TALKED ABOUT LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM ON THE STATION A LOT. AND, UH, ANOTHER PART OF THE ARTEMIS PROGRAM, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO PUT THE FIRST WOMAN AND THE NEXT MAN ON THE MOON, BUT ANOTHER PART OF THAT IS GATEWAY. SO CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT GATEWAY AND MAYBE WHAT THE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM WILL LOOK LIKE THERE AS WELL? >> SO FOR GATEWAY, WE ARE WORKING ON THE INITIAL PIECES NOW, AND IT'LL BE, UM, INITIALLY A, UH, A LIMITED, I WOULD SAY, ADDITIONAL LIFE SUPPORT CAPABILITY.
WE'LL BE FLYING ORION, SO THE CREW WILL ALWAYS HAVE THE ORION LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEM TO RELY ON WHILE THEY'RE ATTACHED TO GATEWAY. AND THEN WE'LL BE AUGMENTING WHAT'S IN ORION WITH ADDITIONAL CAPABILITIES ON THE GATEWAY, UH, SO THAT THEY CAN STAY FOR LONGER STAYS. SO WE'LL BUILD IT UP. INITIALLY, UH, THEY'LL BE, UH, THIRTY, KINDA, THIRTY DAY STAYS AT GATEWAY LEADING UP TO MAYBE 45, 60 DAY STAYS. THEN OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS ARE BRINGING IN ADDITIONAL, UM, HABITATION MODULE WITH ADDITIONAL ECLSS CAPABILITIES, UM, OUR EUROPEAN AND JAPANESE COLLEAGUES. AND THEN ULTIMATELY OUR PLAN IS TO BRING A, UM, MARS HABITAT, UH, MODULE TO THE GATEWAY.
AND THAT'LL REALLY HAVE ALL OF OUR LONG DURATION, REGENERATIVE LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS THAT WE'RE, UM, FLYING TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION TODAY AND TESTING ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION. THAT'S WHERE ALL THAT STUFF WILL BE, AND WE'LL PRACTICE AGAIN AT THE GATEWAY WITH OUR FULL, UH, FULL-FULL UP SYSTEM THERE. >> SO, UH, THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION IS TRULY A GLOBAL COLLABORATION. YOU KNOW, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT WE'VE HAD, YOU KNOW, OVER 240 PEOPLE FROM NINETEEN COUNTRIES, UM, AND THOUSANDS OF RESEARCHERS WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THE WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE ON STATION.
SO HOW HAS WORKING WITH THESE OTHER COUNTRIES TO KEEP THE SPACE STATION OPERATIONAL FOR TWENTY YEARS WITH HUMANS ABOARD INFORMED OUR PLAN FOR WORKING WITH INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS ON THE ARTEMIS MISSIONS? >> WELL, IT SAYS WE CAN'T DO IT ALONE, RIGHT? WE'VE RELIED ON THIS PARTNERSHIP, WHICH IS AMAZING. UM, TO DO WHAT WE'VE DONE ON THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION AND STILL DO. UM, I THINK EVEN WHEN OUR COUNTRIES DON'T GET ALONG NECESSARILY ON EARTH VERY WELL, WE GET ALONG VERY WELL ON-- IN THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION PROGRAM. UM, AND THAT'S-THAT'S AN INCREDIBLE THING TO SAY, AND WE'RE TAKING THAT PARTNERSHIP WITH US AND BUILDING ON IT TO DO THESE MISSIONS BEYOND LOW EARTH ORBIT TOGETHER.
BECAUSE WE-WE KNOW THAT WE NEED CONTRIBUTIONS FROM EVERYBODY. NO-NOBODY CAN DO THIS ALONE, IT'S TOO MASSIVE, IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE, AND OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS WANT TO BE WITH US ON THIS JOURNEY. THEY REALLY WANT TO CONTRIBUTE AND THEY'RE EXCITED ABOUT CONTRIBUTING. SO WE'RE EXTENDING WHAT WE'VE LEARNED ON STATION NOW TO ARTEMIS, AND SIGNING AGREEMENTS, AND, UM, AND, UH, REALLY LOOKING FORWARD, EVERYBODY'S STARTING TO WORK ON THEIR PARTS AND REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO THOSE MILESTONES. >> YEAH, GREAT POINT.
I-I TOTALLY AGREE, WE CANNOT DO IT ALONE. WE ARE OUR BEST WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER. UM, SO I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM EACH OF YOU WHAT YOU THINK HUMAN SPACEFLIGHT WILL LOOK LIKE TWENTY YEARS FROM NOW. >> WE'LL LET JENNIFER START.
[ LAUGHTER ] >> TWENTY YEARS FROM NOW, TWO DECADES. IT SEEMS SO FAR AWAY, BUT IN TWENTY YEARS I'LL BE LIKE, "WASN'T THAT-WASN'T THAT YESTERDAY? WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN?" UM, I COMPLETELY AGREE THAT IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE AN INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION. I DEFINITELY SEE A SUSTAINED LUNAR ORBIT AND A LUNAR SERVICE PRESENCE. THAT IS GONNA BE OUR NEXT BIG LEARNING OPPORTUNITY TO SAFELY GO TO MARS. UM, WE ARE SURPRISED EVERY TIME AT WHAT-- YOU KNOW, IT'S THE, I DON'T KNOW WHAT I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW GETS YOU.
AND YOU REALLY HAVE TO ENGAGE, ALL RIGHT? THIS IS WHY EVERYTHING WE'VE LEARNED ON EARTH IN TERMS OF EXPLORATION SAID YOU HAVE TO GO AND FAIL AND HOPEFULLY FAIL SAFELY IN TERMS OF YOU ANTICIPATED IT, UM, AND YOU LEARN FROM IT. UM, WE HAVE LOTS OF WAYS TO RECOVER FROM-FROM THE GOOD TYPE OF FAILURE RIGHT NOW. WE-WE CAN PUT OURSELVES IN A LOW RISK POSTURE TO TAKE THOSE CHANCES.
UH, AND I THINK THE-THE LUNAR OPPORTUNITIES IN THE NEXT TWO DECADES ARE REALLY GONNA PUT US IN A POSITION TO DO MARS WELL. UM, I THINK THE CAPABILITY OF THE HUMAN FUNCTIONING AND, UM, PERFORMING IN LUNAR ORBIT AND LUNAR SURFACE ACTIVITIES IS ONLY GOING TO BE IMPROVED. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU MENTIONED THE SUIT AND THERE'S A LOT THAT HAS EVOLVED ABOUT THE SUIT WITH RESPECT TO HOW THE HUMAN FUNCTIONS.
IT IS ANOTHER VEHICLE, BUT IT'S AS CLOSE TO YOU AS YOUR SKIN, RIGHT? AND IT ALSO, UM, WE'VE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT HOW IT NEEDS TO-TO MOVE WITH YOU AND NOT AGAINST YOU, IT SHOULDN'T BE MORE WORK. YOU KNOW, WE'RE HUMANS, WE USE TOOLS TO HELP US. [ LAUGHTER ] AND THE SUIT ESSENTIALLY BECOMES AN EXTENSION, LIKE EXOSKELETON LIKE. UM, THE OTHER IDEAS OF BEING A GOOD PARTNER, GOING BACK TO HUMAN SYSTEM INTEGRATION. UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT KIND OF GET TOUCHED ON, I DIDN'T MENTION AS A COUNTERMEASURE BECAUSE I-I REALLY RUN A PROGRAM THAT'S DESIGNED NOT TO RELY ON SOMETHING LIKE PHARMACEUTICALS. AND-AND NOT BECAUSE THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG, WE'RE GONNA HAVE THEM TO SOME EXTENT, BUT BECAUSE THE IDEA IS WHEN YOU METABOLIZE A PHARMACEUTICAL EARTH FOOD, IT GOES INTO YOUR URINE OR YOUR WASTE, AND THEN HAS TO BE PROCESSED.
AND WHEN YOU'RE RECYCLING WATER, YOU HAVE TO PAY ATTENTION TO THAT FULL LIFECYCLE. SO WE WANNA STICK WITH THINGS THAT ARE THE LEAST BURDEN ON THE OTHER SYSTEMS, AND THEN KNOW AND ANTICIPATE WHAT THE HUMAN'S EXPECTED TO DO. UM, THE OTHER ELEMENT IS THAT WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO INCREASE THE DIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE WHO GO, RIGHT, THE IDEA OF WHO IS CAPABLE AND WHAT THEY'RE CAPABLE OF. UM, I THINK WE CONTINUALLY MAKE SURE TO REMIND PEOPLE THAT THERE REALLY ARE NO LIMITS. OUR JOBS ARE TO HELP FACILITATE ALMOST ANYBODY TO GO.
IT'S ABOUT WHAT SKILL YOU BRING TO THE TABLE, WHAT UNIQUENESS YOU BRING TO THE TABLE. UM, AND WE HAVE ONLY ADDED VALUE BY ADDING TO THE DIVERSITY OF THE PEOPLE WHO GO AND THEIR PERSPECTIVES AND THEIR EXPERTISE. SO I JUST SEE MORE WOMEN AND INCREASING NUMBER OF COUNTRIES, REPRESENTATIVES FROM COUNTRIES, BEING CAPABLE OF FLYING WITH US AND ADDING VALUE TO THE MISSIONS OF THE FUTURE.
THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE QUESTION 'CAUSE IT'S GOOD TO STEP BACK AND THINK ABOUT THE FUTURE LIKE THAT INSTEAD OF THE NEXT FIVE YEARS. [ LAUGHTER ] >> LAURA, WHAT DO YOU-- WHAT DO YOU SEE IN TWENTY YEARS? >> I AM REALLY HOPING THAT WE ARE ON OUR WAY TO MARS IN TWENTY YEARS. UM, I'M HOPING WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF MISSIONS BY THEN, UM, AND LEARNED-AND LEARNED ALL KINDS OF THINGS, UH, ALONG THE WAY. BUT-BUT I AGREE, I THINK THE-THE-THE MOON IS A GOOD STEPPING STONE AND AN AREA TO, YOU KNOW, GO FURTHER AWAY WHERE IT'S STILL NOT SO FAR THAT WE CAN'T LEARN THOSE LESSONS AND STILL RELATIVELY EASILY RECOVER.
SO, UM, SO I GUESS THAT'S MY VISION. THAT'S PROBABLY AS FAR AS MY CAREER WILL GO, SO I'M REALLY HOPING BY THEN WE'VE GOT-WE'VE GOT PEOPLE GOING DOING THE MARS ROUND TRIP. >> AND I-- YOU'LL BE-- YOU'LL STILL BE AT NASA, I PROBABLY WILL BE RETIRED BY THEN. BUT, UM YEAH, I HOPE WE'RE ON MARS TOO. UM, I WOULD JUST ADD DON'T FORGET ABOUT LEO, UH, AS WE GO FURTHER I THINK, UM, AS THE ADMINISTRATION, UH, THEIR POLICY, OUR POLICY, CONGRESSIONAL POLICY, I THINK WE'RE ALL IN AGREEMENT IS WE-WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN A PRESENCE IN LOW EARTH ORBIT TOO, UH, EVEN AS WE GO FURTHER. THE-THE TRICK IS HOW DO WE DO THAT EFFICIENTLY? SO WE, UM, IT MAKES ME SAD TO SAY THIS, BUT ONE DAY WE'LL HAVE TO RETIRE THE ISS, AND, UM, BUT WE WANT TO TRANSITION TO SOMETHING, RIGHT? WE WANT TO TRANSITION TO COMMERCIAL PLATFORMS IN LOW EARTH ORBIT WHERE WE'RE BUYING WHAT WE, NASA, NEED, OTHER COUNTRIES CAN BUY WHAT THEY NEED, THERE'S COMMERCIAL ACTIVITY, WE'RE-WE'RE ALL IN IT-IN IT TOGETHER AND, UH, SO THAT'S WHAT I PICTURE FOR LEO, UM, IN THE NEXT TWENTY YEARS.
IT'S HARD TO PICK A TIMETABLE BECAUSE, UH, DEVELOPMENT OF COMMERCIAL CAPABILITIES IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO PREDICT. BUT, UM, WE'RE TRYING TO DO ALL WE CAN TO ENABLE THAT FUTURE AND, UH, AND KEEP THE ISS GOING SO WE DON'T HAVE A GAP WHEN THE TIME COMES, UH, TO TRANSITION. UH, SO I REALLY SEE AND HOPE FOR THAT COMMERCIAL PARTNERSHIP, BOTH IN LEO AND-AND OUR EFFORTS BEYOND LEO, AS WELL AS OUR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP. >> YEAH, THAT'S GREAT, THANK YOU SO MUCH. I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT UP LEO, LOW EARTH ORBIT.
YOU KNOW, UM, AND THAT IS A SAD THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, THE DAY WE MIGHT HAVE TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE SPACE STATION, BUT THIS CONVERSATION HAS JUST SHOWN THE WAYS THAT IT'S CONTRIBUTED TO, YOU KNOW, OUR FUTURE EXPLORATION, AND JUST SOME OF THOSE FACETS. AND OF COURSE THE WHOLE TIME, THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION HAS REALLY BEEN BENEFITTING EVERYONE ON EARTH AS WELL. SO BEFORE WE WRAP THINGS UP, I WANTED TO GIVE EVERYONE AN OPPORTUNITY, IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE THOUGHTS OR COMMENTS THAT YOU WANTED TO SHARE, UH, BEFORE WE END IT OUT TODAY.
>> I-I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY, I JUST APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY. I'VE LOVED DOING, UM, THIS CELEBRATION OF OUR TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY AND THINKING ABOUT EVERYTHING THE SPACE STATION HAS BROUGHT US. IT'S BEEN MY WHOLE CAREER PRETTY MUCH, SO IT'S NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART. I INTEND TO KEEP WORKING ON IT AND KEEP, UM-- I REALLY, REALLY WANT US TO FULFILL ALL THE POTENTIAL WE CAN OUT OF THIS THIS AMAZING PLATFORM IN-IN ALL AREAS. SO I THINK WE'RE REALLY DOING THAT AND I'M EXCITED TO-TO SHARE THAT WITH EVERYBODY WHO MIGHT BE WATCHING.
>> I-I COULDN'T AGREE MORE. UM, I ALSO LIKED WHAT DR. FOGARTY SAID ABOUT THE DIVERSITY OF CREW.
I THINK ALSO ON THE GROUND ALL THE-THE FOLKS THAT SUPPORT NASA, YOU'LL NOTICE A HUGE INSURGENCE OF WOMEN IN THE TECHNICAL FIELDS. IN FACT, THIS IS AN ALL FEMALE PANEL, FOR EXAMPLE, TODAY. UM, AND I THINK THAT'S REALLY INCREASED THE-THE, UM, THE, UH, THE DIVERSITY OF THINKING, YOU KNOW, AND-AND THE WAY WE'RE ABLE TO ACHIEVE-ACHIEVE THINGS. IN FACT, MY-MY BOSS IS A-IS A WOMAN, AND YOU KNOW, ROBYN'S ONE OF MY BOSSES AND-- ANYWAY, I'M JUST VERY PRIVILEGED TO HAVE SOME VERY STRONG LADIES IN THE FIELD, SO UM, IT'S A GREAT THING.
THANK YOU. >> YEAH, I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT'S BEEN SAID. AND I, YOU KNOW, WORKING FOR THE SPACE PROGRAM, IT IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY TO BE PART OF THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE. UM, IT'S ALSO AS A WOMAN AND COMING UP THROUGH STEM FIELDS AND SOME MALE DOMINATED FIELDS, IF I CAN BE THERE TO BE AN ADVOCATE, UM, AND-AND HELP DEMONSTRATE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO DO THE ROLE, AND DO THE JOB, AND BE SUCCESSFUL, AND-AND NOBODY EVEN NOTICES ANYMORE, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE YOU ARE SEAMLESSLY ACCEPTED AS PART OF THIS-- AS PART OF THE TEAM, AND YOU BRING SOLUTIONS AND YOU BRING VALUE.
I'M INCREDIBLY PROUD OF BEING PART OF THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, UH, THAT HAS BEEN PRESENT MY WHOLE CAREER, I STARTED AFTER 2000. UM, UH, IT WAS, UH, REMARKABLE TO SEE IT EVOLVE, UM, AND-AND THE WAY THE-THE FACILITY OPERATES TODAY AND HOW WE CONTINUE TO USE IT AS A TEST BED. AND I AGREE WITH-WITH ROBYN, IT WILL CONTINUE TO BE A WORKHORSE FOR US FROM ALL KINDS OF LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, SCIENCE, TECH DEMONSTRATION. UM, IT ONLY GETS HARDER TO GO FURTHER AWAY, RIGHT? AND YOU WANNA HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE AND CERTAINTY AND BUY DOWN CERTAIN RISK BEFORE YOU MOVE TO THE NEXT STEP. SO I THINK IT'S REALLY SET UP QUITE AN ELEGANT WAY FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD AND-AND HAVE A TEST BED. YOU KNOW LAURA TALKED ABOUT, WE CAN TRY TO DO THINGS ON THE GROUND, BUT IT'S STILL GONNA LEAVE SOME OPEN QUESTIONS ABOUT WILL IT WORK IN SPACE.
YOU GOTTA GO INTO THE OPERATIONAL, UM, REALM TO REALLY PUT US THROUGH ITS PACES. BUT YOU DON'T WANNA PUT, UH, HUMANS AT RISK AND THE MISSION AT RISK FOR IT, RIGHT? IT BECOMES-- THE JOB IS TO GO TEST THINGS, UM, AND NOT SWITCH YET, YOU KNOW, TO THE NEXT-- PEOPLE SAY, "WELL WHY AREN'T YOU DOING THE CUTTING EDGE?" I WAS LIKE, WELL CUTTING EDGE IS RISKY, AND YOU KNOW, UH, ROBYN MENTIONED THE WORD "RELIABLE". YOU DON'T KNOW IT'S RELIABLE, YOU NEED TIME. SOME THINGS ARE JUST ABOUT RUN TIME ON IT. SO IT'S AN INVALUABLE RESOURCE THAT'LL CONTINUE TO-TO FUNCTION IN THAT CAPACITY. I THINK ENGAGING IN COMMERCIALIZATION IS AN AMAZING OPPORTUNITY, AND PEOPLE THAT SEE VALUE IN IT AND BE PART OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT COMMERCIALIZATION COULD MEAN.
UM, BUT IT'S-IT'S BEEN A PRIVILEGE TO-TO WORK IN THE ARENA, UH, AND TO BE PART OF HAVING COLLEAGUES, YOU KNOW, THAT ARE JUST STELLAR. UM, WE'RE NOT HERE FOR ANY OTHER REASON, UM, THAN TO-TO ENABLE THE FUTURE, SO IT'S-IT'S REALLY A PRIVILEGE. AND I THANK YOU FOR BEING ON A PANEL. IT WAS REALLY GREAT TO HEAR FROM MY COLLEAGUES.
>> YES, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH. IT WAS AN HONOR, UH, TO SPEAK WITH ALL OF YOU AND I-I KNOW IT'S JUST SO EXCITING TO REFLECT ON THE PAST TWENTY YEARS, UH, AND ULTIMATELY EXCITING TO LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT'S COMING NEXT FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION, UM, AND AS WE JOURNEY FURTHER INTO THE SOLAR SYSTEM. SO, THANK YOU AGAIN, EVERYONE FOR JOINING US AND THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO WATCHED, UM, AND WE WILL SEE YOU NEXT TIME.
2020-12-31 11:36
